Kalanick Launches Atoms
Travis Kalanick has launched Atoms, a robotics company that’s absorbing CloudKitchens and acquiring Pronto to build industrial robotics for logistics and food automation — a high-profile founder doubling down on robotics after years of stealth work reported. The move signals fresh capital and competition in warehouse automation and could shift talent demand toward systems that span vehicles, kitchens, and logistics.
CloudKitchens took a $400 million investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in 2019, according to reporting on the deal. restaurantdive.com The business later raised an $850 million round in 2021 that included Microsoft, and has been reported at times with valuations as high as about $15 billion. en.wikipedia.org Kalanick published a roughly 1,600‑word manifesto on Atoms’ site that explicitly uses the phrase “gainfully employed robots.” finance.yahoo.com The same public post and interviews describe the company’s aim to build a modular “wheelbase for robots.” thenextweb.com Pronto was founded in 2018 by Anthony Levandowski and focuses on autonomous haulage systems for off‑road and mining vehicles. pronto.ai Pronto completed the acquisition of SafeAI in mid‑2025 and signed a global agreement to deploy 100+ autonomous haul trucks with Heidelberg Materials, moves that expanded its off‑road autonomy footprint. secure.businesswire.com Pronto’s stack emphasizes an OEM‑agnostic, camera‑forward AHS approach for retrofit deployments. evmagz.com Kalanick was already reported to be Pronto’s largest investor before the deal discussions. finance.yahoo.com Atoms reportedly operated in stealth with thousands of employees who were not permitted to list the company publicly, and Kalanick told hosts on the TBPN podcast the venture had been in stealth for eight years. thenextweb.com
